The Seventh Element
by A Child's Psychology
Summary: Queen Chrysalis and her army is back, and stronger than ever. But it seems that the six elements alone don't stand a chance. Princess Celestia has a plan, however, that could save them all from the changelings' wrath! This series can also be found on DeviantArt.
1. Prologue

Flicker's mane bounced in pace with the machine she rode on, slowly passing the scenery of the Everfree Forest. The unicorn's horn was sparkling with dark green magic, and she bit her tongue between her teeth as she stuck a cog in place, and closed the latch of the engine compartment. "Done!" she called to her brothers, who sat in the front. "Sister of mine, you took your time," sighed Flim, looking slightly annoyed as he lounged on the couch at the front of the machine. Flam wiggled his mustache in agreement, grinning slightly. Flicker rolled her eyes, pointing a wrench in her hoof at them. "Hey! I'm not the one making my own machine run too fast! Ever since you had that stupid competition with the Apple family, this thing has been falling apart! I deliberately told you two not to push it to full power!"  
The Flim Flam Brothers rolled their eyes in unison, and Flicker narrowed hers, continuing to drill them on about it, now that the topic had been mentioned. "I built the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 for you as a gift, so you could make money! Not so you can cheat your way into fame! Now it's almost completely ruined, with me having to fix a leak or replace a cog every five minutes! I can't believe you took advantage of me like that! Kicking me out and sneaking to Ponyville! Calling this thing yours and lying to everypony! Honestly, you guys are just the worst. Ever since I was born, you guys have taken advantage of my talents just because I'm younger."  
Flam scowled. "Stop complaining, we came back to get you, didn't we?" he grumbled in his natural salespony voice. "Yeah, we stopped asking you to build stuff for us after that." Flicker hit the wrench on her other hoof, raising an eyebrow. "Oh," she said sarcastically, "and making a fake all-cure tonic was any better." Flim cringed and ignored his younger sister.  
Flicker was surprised they still hadn't kicked her on to the street by now, considering how many times they had gone through this argument. She assumed it was because they needed somepony to keep the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 running. Despite their many shenanigans, Flicker had always loved her siblings, even if she seemed so angry at them so often. She was sure they loved her too, but were twice as subtle about it. At least they had the decency to pick her up again after getting thrown out of Ponyville. To Flicker's annoyance, they had yet to allow her to sit in the front or drive for once.  
Flicker suddenly heard a loud clang and then the sound of swishing liquid. She put a hoof to her forehead exasperatedly. "Stop the Cider Squeezy!" she called to Flim and Flam. Flam used his magic to stop the machine, and it slowed with an ear-splitting screech. She strapped her signature steampunk goggles over her eyes, biting her tongue between her teeth. Flicker quickly grabbed a spare piece of metal, some nails, and a spray bottle full of black liquid, jumping down to the ground and crawling beneath the vehicle.

About to seal the leak completely, Flicker levitated the spray bottle, then heard a startling sound, the sound of something moving around through the forest. Flicker narrowed her eyes and crawled out from under the vehicle, pushing her goggles from her eyes, behind her horn. "What's taking so long down there?" called Flam, voice impatient. "Shh!" Flicker shushed, glaring up at her brother from ground level. "I…hear something…"  
Flicker peered into the shadows of the Everfree Forest, which always seemed so dark despite the fact that it was currently daytime. She glanced back at Flim and Flam, who were watching her with raised eyebrows. She winked at them, unsmiling, and crept into the darkness. She perked her ears, listening for any more disturbance in the undergrowth. Suddenly, she spotted a silhouette ahead and took cover behind a wide-trunked tree. Flicker peered from behind it, watching the pony-shaped form move slowly through the woods. She noticed bright blue and green eyes glinting through the shadows and bit her tongue, hoping this pony was friendly. She approached slowly, stepping lightly and making sure to hide behind trees every few seconds. The form suddenly stopped in a small clearing, and Flicker darted behind the cover of the nearest tree.  
Peeking at the pony, Flicker bit back a gasp, suddenly realizing that it wasn't a pony at all—but a changeling! It appeared to be a male, with a muscular body structure and, although Flicker would never admit it aloud, a handsome face. It was covered in holes at the end of each it's limbs. Two fangs peeked slightly from his upper lip, and his eye pupils were narrowed to slits.  
Flicker put a hoof to her mouth and backed away slowly. Suddenly she heard a snap and realized she had stepped on a stick. Eyes widening in panic, Flicker thought she saw the glint of narrowed blue and green eyes turn in her direction before she turned and raced away, ran until she was safely on the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. She shoved Flim and Flam off of the driver's seat and used her magic to start the machine up once more. "Hey! You shouldn't be driving, you'll wreck our machine!" Flam protested, her brothers hanging off of the sides of the vehicle.  
"No time to argue!" Flicker replied in a wheezy voice through clenched teeth. "We have to go to see Princess Celestia! And this thing is _mine_, applesauce brain!"


	2. Chapter 1

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle called as she slowly pushed the throne room doors open, her friends close behind. Twilight spotted Celestia sitting alone on her throne, noticing a look of worry on her old mentor's face. Twilight quickly bowed at the foot of her seat, her expression matching Celestia's. The larger alicorn gazed down at her, unsmiling. "I am sorry to have summoned you on such short notice," she spoke gently to all of them, "but it seems a problem has arisen, and it may become very serious if we do not act quickly." The princess stepped from her throne and stood at their level, her head bowed slightly.  
Twilight's eyes widened, but she held on to a respectful silence, waiting for her distressed ruler to continue. "Somepony has informed me of a situation," Celestia continued slowly. "Twilight, do you remember Princess Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding clearly? In the end, I foolishly never saw to it that Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army were gone for good. And now…they have returned."  
Twilight Sparkle gasped along with her friends. Fluttershy tentatively stepped forward. "Queen Chrysalis is back? Then…how come we haven't seen any sign of her?" the pegasus asked softly, ears flattening with worry. Celestia closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "The Queen has not yet made an appearance, but a traveler spotted one of her minions walking through the Everfree Forest. The pony, of course, ran away before they could see if there were any more followers. We know for sure that it was a changeling, and it looked as though it were heading toward Canterlot. My guards cannot do anything but try and find this changeling and make sure there aren't any more of them."  
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "Why can't we try and find the whole group and defeat 'em while they're weak?" she asked. Celestia shook her head, mane flowing silently. "We have no idea about the whereabouts of their current hiding place, although we know it is beyond Equestria. Have any of you seen anything suspicious lately? Anything at all?"  
All of them shook their heads, except for Pinkie Pie. "_Well_, one of the cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner tasted a bit suspicious…now that I think about it…there was this green tinge to it…"  
Everypony turned to stare at Pinkie. "What? Are you trying to tell me a weird-tasting cupcake isn't suspicious? If that isn't, I dunno what is." Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead with a hoof and Rarity shook her head. "Oh, Pinkie," Twilight murmured, always so confused about her friend's constant cheerfulness, even in the darkest of times. Although, the alicorn did admit, most of the time it made her feel loads better when she was feeling serious or depressed. Laughter sometimes was the best medicine.  
"What can we do?" Twilight asked, turning back to Celestia. "We no longer possess the Elements of Harmony, and our friendship is what helped us conquer Tirek before. We don't have another chest to open, and last time our friendship magic was triggered by unlocking the chest. How will we defend ourselves?"  
Celestia blinked slowly, turning to gaze out at the Canterlot Gardens through a large stain-glass window. "That is why I have summoned you. I have a new mission for you, my little ponies, and it may be the hardest task I have expected of you." Applejack shook her head. "If you don't mind me sayin', Princess, we feel it's our duty to assist you, no matter the task. I'm sure it won't be too much of a difficult quest if we all stick together." Celestia smiled slightly, looking back at them. "Thank you. But before I give you your mission, I must tell you something. Something almost nopony knows. You see…there is a seventh Element of Harmony."  
Everypony stared, complete silence ringing through the throne room. Everyone but Celestia had a look of complete and utter shock displayed on their faces. Spike clutched the sides of his head, horrified. Rarity had fainted, and was slumped at an odd angle over Applejack's back. Celestia held up a hoof as to keep them from starting questions. "There were not always only six Elements in Equestria…For you see, long ago…"  
_"__Thousands of years ago, long before the rein of Nightmare Moon, there were seven Elements of Harmony. Uniqueness, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, and Magic. Using the Elements, Luna and I protected the land of Equestria from unhappiness and evil. But trouble arose when Discord began his war against us.  
It was not long until he learned that we possessed the Elements, and that we were planning to overcome him. Thinking this would stop us, Discord somehow destroyed the Element of Uniqueness using his powerful magic. It was a struggle, but Luna and I managed to cast a spell to keep the Elements working. Although they no longer possessed their full strength, Discord did not either, for a lot of power was drained from him as he destroyed one of the most magical relics of all, and he was defeated by the remaining Elements.  
Over time, the Uniqueness Element was forgotten, and the Elements have been six, instead of seven, ever since. The only ponies who still remember the Element of Uniqueness are Luna, Discord, and myself."_  
Twilight got settled into the idea. It all seemed to somehow piece together correctly and make sense.  
"Is…that why Discord tried to keep us from using our Elements instead of destroying them?" Twilight asked, beginning to truly understand.  
Celestia nodded. "I believe that Discord did not fully succeed in destroying the Element of Uniqueness. If you are still connected to your Elements, even though they are no longer with you, it would make sense that the other Element still lives."  
Spike tapped his chin with a claw. "So that means there's a pony somewhere who's got the Element of Uniqueness in them…"  
"That's right," replied the princess. "What I think is if you seek out and reunite the Element of Uniqueness, it will trigger your friendship magic once more, and you will be able to defeat Queen Chrysalis again, this time keeping her and her army away for good."  
Twilight nodded to herself slowly. "This all seems to add up, but…how will we find this pony? Do we even have any place to start?" Celestia shook her head helplessly. "I do not know where you should look, but I believe this Element should still be in Equestria. It would make sense, as this is the Elements' homeland. This pony should be someone unique, and he or she should be able to fit in with you naturally well. I'm sure you'll know that it's them after a while."  
Twilight nodded. "I'll keep in touch with you, and I'll be sure to send you a note if we have anything new to inform you about."  
"As will I," agreed Celestia. "I have faith in you all. This task may take some time, and the key is to be patient. Let your feelings and instincts tell you what to do. Now go. There isn't any time to waste."


	3. Chapter 2

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle called as she slowly pushed the throne room doors open, her friends close behind. Twilight spotted Celestia sitting alone on her throne, noticing a look of worry on her old mentor's face. Twilight quickly bowed at the foot of her seat, her expression matching Celestia's. The larger alicorn gazed down at her, unsmiling. "I am sorry to have summoned you on such short notice," she spoke gently to all of them, "but it seems a problem has arisen, and it may become very serious if we do not act quickly." The princess stepped from her throne and stood at their level, her head bowed slightly.  
Twilight's eyes widened, but she held on to a respectful silence, waiting for her distressed ruler to continue. "Somepony has informed me of a situation," Celestia continued slowly. "Twilight, do you remember Princess Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding clearly? In the end, I foolishly never saw to it that Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army were gone for good. And now…they have returned."  
Twilight Sparkle gasped along with her friends. Fluttershy tentatively stepped forward. "Queen Chrysalis is back? Then…how come we haven't seen any sign of her?" the pegasus asked softly, ears flattening with worry. Celestia closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "The Queen has not yet made an appearance, but a traveler spotted one of her minions walking through the Everfree Forest. The pony, of course, ran away before they could see if there were any more followers. We know for sure that it was a changeling, and it looked as though it were heading toward Canterlot. My guards cannot do anything but try and find this changeling and make sure there aren't any more of them."  
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "Why can't we try and find the whole group and defeat 'em while they're weak?" she asked. Celestia shook her head, mane flowing silently. "We have no idea about the whereabouts of their current hiding place, although we know it is beyond Equestria. Have any of you seen anything suspicious lately? Anything at all?"  
All of them shook their heads, except for Pinkie Pie. "_Well_, one of the cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner tasted a bit suspicious…now that I think about it…there was this green tinge to it…"  
Everypony turned to stare at Pinkie. "What? Are you trying to tell me a weird-tasting cupcake isn't suspicious? If that isn't, I dunno what is." Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead with a hoof and Rarity shook her head. "Oh, Pinkie," Twilight murmured, always so confused about her friend's constant cheerfulness, even in the darkest of times. Although, the alicorn did admit, most of the time it made her feel loads better when she was feeling serious or depressed. Laughter sometimes was the best medicine.  
"What can we do?" Twilight asked, turning back to Celestia. "We no longer possess the Elements of Harmony, and our friendship is what helped us conquer Tirek before. We don't have another chest to open, and last time our friendship magic was triggered by unlocking the chest. How will we defend ourselves?"  
Celestia blinked slowly, turning to gaze out at the Canterlot Gardens through a large stain-glass window. "That is why I have summoned you. I have a new mission for you, my little ponies, and it may be the hardest task I have expected of you." Applejack shook her head. "If you don't mind me sayin', Princess, we feel it's our duty to assist you, no matter the task. I'm sure it won't be too much of a difficult quest if we all stick together." Celestia smiled slightly, looking back at them. "Thank you. But before I give you your mission, I must tell you something. Something almost nopony knows. You see…there is a seventh Element of Harmony."  
Everypony stared, complete silence ringing through the throne room. Everyone but Celestia had a look of complete and utter shock displayed on their faces. Spike clutched the sides of his head, horrified. Rarity had fainted, and was slumped at an odd angle over Applejack's back. Celestia held up a hoof as to keep them from starting questions. "There were not always only six Elements in Equestria…For you see, long ago…"  
_"__Thousands of years ago, long before the rein of Nightmare Moon, there were seven Elements of Harmony. Uniqueness, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, and Magic. Using the Elements, Luna and I protected the land of Equestria from unhappiness and evil. But trouble arose when Discord began his war against us.  
It was not long until he learned that we possessed the Elements, and that we were planning to overcome him. Thinking this would stop us, Discord somehow destroyed the Element of Uniqueness using his powerful magic. It was a struggle, but Luna and I managed to cast a spell to keep the Elements working. Although they no longer possessed their full strength, Discord did not either, for a lot of power was drained from him as he destroyed one of the most magical relics of all, and he was defeated by the remaining Elements.  
Over time, the Uniqueness Element was forgotten, and the Elements have been six, instead of seven, ever since. The only ponies who still remember the Element of Uniqueness are Luna, Discord, and myself."_  
Twilight got settled into the idea. It all seemed to somehow piece together correctly and make sense.  
"Is…that why Discord tried to keep us from using our Elements instead of destroying them?" Twilight asked, beginning to truly understand.  
Celestia nodded. "I believe that Discord did not fully succeed in destroying the Element of Uniqueness. If you are still connected to your Elements, even though they are no longer with you, it would make sense that the other Element still lives."  
Spike tapped his chin with a claw. "So that means there's a pony somewhere who's got the Element of Uniqueness in them…"  
"That's right," replied the princess. "What I think is if you seek out and reunite the Element of Uniqueness, it will trigger your friendship magic once more, and you will be able to defeat Queen Chrysalis again, this time keeping her and her army away for good."  
Twilight nodded to herself slowly. "This all seems to add up, but…how will we find this pony? Do we even have any place to start?" Celestia shook her head helplessly. "I do not know where you should look, but I believe this Element should still be in Equestria. It would make sense, as this is the Elements' homeland. This pony should be someone unique, and he or she should be able to fit in with you naturally well. I'm sure you'll know that it's them after a while."  
Twilight nodded. "I'll keep in touch with you, and I'll be sure to send you a note if we have anything new to inform you about."  
"As will I," agreed Celestia. "I have faith in you all. This task may take some time, and the key is to be patient. Let your feelings and instincts tell you what to do. Now go. There isn't any time to waste."


	4. Chapter 3

Twilight Sparkle mumbled under her breath as her eyes darted back and forth, skimming the pages of a huge book at light speed. "Ugh! It's no use!" Rainbow Dash said exasperatedly, throwing down the book she had been looking through. The startlingly loud sound of the novel slamming on the floor rung through the abandoned throne room, causing Fluttershy to squeak in surprise. "Twilight, can't we look for a solution somewhere other than the Castle of the Two Sisters? Especially somewhere that isn't full of—" she hacked "—dust?"  
Twilight frowned up at the impatient pegasus. "This may be the only place we can find anything. I don't think there are any books older than these in Equestria. We have to find something that can tell us where to look. We can't run around Equestria blindly trying to find one pony, there wouldn't be a point."  
Rarity let out a girly cough and nodded. "I have to agree with both of you, but I don't see a point in this either. Unless we can find someone who can tell us in deeper detail about what happened to the Element of Uniqueness, I don't believe we'll find anything."  
At that, Twilight gasped. "Of course! We should talk to Discord!" Fluttershy's face reflected an intense feeling of worry. She flew slowly over to Twilight, landing next to her and rubbing one hoof with the other. "Um…maybe we shouldn't? I don't think he wants to be disturbed right now…" Fluttershy bit her lip, looking away.  
Twilight Sparkle frowned and raised an eyebrow. "How come?" she asked. "Has…he been giving you a hard time?" Fluttershy shook her head vigorously. "No, no, it's not that, it's just…he hasn't been feeling his best lately. Not in health, I mean emotionally. After what happened with Tirek, he hasn't really…been able to forgive himself."  
Applejack stared, openmouthed. "Discord guilty?! Are you kiddin'? I'm surprised he hasn't betrayed us again since then!" Fluttershy's eyes narrowed and she glared at Applejack. "He feels really bad, Applejack! It took some effort to convince him that I really forgave him! Don't act so surprised, he's actually very kind-hearted."  
Twilight sighed. "We need to talk to him, Fluttershy, there may not be any other way to find out what happened to the Seventh Element!" Fluttershy looked at her hooves and sighed. "Alright…but I should talk to him first, just to make sure he's okay with it."  
Twilight cringed, almost sure that the Master of Chaos would object to their request.

As they walked up the path to Fluttershy's cottage, Fluttershy turned around at the front of the group to look at her friends. "I'd better go inside and talk to him now. Please wait a moment." She gave a smile that seemed to be more worried than reassuring, and stepped inside quietly.  
After a few minutes, Fluttershy returned, a frowning Discord close behind. Oddly enough, he seemed only slightly annoyed. "Well, well, well," said Discord, both a paw and a claw on his hips. "Look who it is. The six Elements of Harmony. But not all of them," he said, raising an eyebrow and grinning. Twilight raised one of hers in response.  
Discord sighed. "So, you want to learn about the seventh Element, am I right?" he inquired, walking in circles around the friends. "Well, you're in luck, as I am just the creature to ask. After all, I was the one to cast that Element away. If I am to tell you of what happened, I must tell you in my way."  
"Not this again!" Rainbow interjected, eyes narrowed in frustration. "Last time we lost our wings and magic, got separated from each other in a giant maze, were all turned grey and into complete jerks, and misused our Elements! Just cut the rhyme, Discord, and give it to us straight!" The rest of the ponies exclaimed "Yeah!" in agreement.  
Discord rolled his eyes, sighing. "That's really no fun, and besides, I'm Discord! If I stop using riddles, ponies will start to believe that I'm no longer Lord of Chaos. If I don't help in this way, I won't help at all." He explained slyly. "Anyways, let me begin…"  
_"__If you want the seventh Element, you'll have to keep in mind  
That in a tight squeeze, they won't be hard to find  
They will be by a mountain, and possess a green-glowing horn  
But not in Canterlot, the land of unicorns  
Look for it within a huge forest, full of fearsome creatures  
Their element says it all when it comes to their personality features"_  
Pinkie Pie beamed and gasped. "Ooh! Ooh! I get it!" Then her face fell slowly. "I…don't get it." Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof in thought. "Hmm. So you're saying—" her eyes widened. She had looked up to ask Discord about the riddle when she realized he had teleported away.  
The princess frowned and sighed. "I guess that's all we'll get from him," she murmured. Applejack shrugged. "At least it's something to go on. So we know they'll be in a forest, by a mountain. Not in Canterlot, but they're a unicorn, with green magic. And they're…unique?"  
"I guess so," replied Rarity, eyebrows raised in helplessness. "Twilight?" Everyone turned to look at Twilight as if expecting orders. Twilight looked at her hooves, overwhelmed. "I…I think we should try and think…where is there a forest near a mountain?"  
"Not the Everfree Forest?" asked Fluttershy, shuddering. Twilight shook her head. "The Everfree Forest is nowhere near any mountains."  
"What about the Crystal Mountains?" Rainbow Dash suggested. "No," said Twilight, "There aren't any forests around there, since it's so cold."  
Suddenly Twilight realized. "Hey! What about Whitetail Woods, by Unicorn Range and the Smokey Mountain?"  
"That would make sense," Pinkie Pie agreed. "Forest, check. Mountains, check. Not Canterlot, check."  
"Alright, gang!" Twilight said, spreading her wings and grinning. "Course set to Whitetail Woods! I just hope we're looking in the right place…"


End file.
